title: Persistent developmental stuttering as a cortical-subcortical dysfunction: evidence from muscle activation.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  One contemporary view of stuttering posits that speech disfluencies arise from anomalous speech motor control.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To verify the rest muscle tension and speech reaction time of fluent and stuttering adults.
  
  
  METHODS
  22 adults, divided in two groups: G1--11 fluent individuals; G2--11 stutterers. Electromyography recordings (inferior orbicularis oris) were collected in two different situations: during rest and in a reaction time activity.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The groups were significantly different considering rest muscle tension (G2 higher recordings) and did not differ when considering speech reaction time and muscle activity during speech. There was a strong positive correlation between speech reaction time and speech muscle activity for G2--the longer the speech reaction time, the higher the muscle activity during speech.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In addition to perceptible episodes of speech disfluency, stutterers exhibit anomalies in speech motor output during fluent speech. Correlations with a possible cortical-subcortical disorder are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Departament of Physiotherapy, Speech-Language and Hearing Sciences and Occupational Therapy, School of Medicine, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil. clauan@usp.br
authors.forename: Claudia Regina Furquim de
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Andrade
authors.forename: Fernanda Chiarion
authors.initials: FC
authors.lastname: Sassi
authors.forename: Fabiola
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Juste
authors.forename: Lucia Iracema Zanotto de
authors.initials: LI
authors.lastname: Mendonça
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004576:Electromyography; D005152:Facial Muscles / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011930:Reaction Time; D012146:Rest / Q000502:physiology; D013342:Stuttering / Q000503:physiopathology*